As Christians, we are charged to love others. But what does this mean? In Till We Have Faces, this charge is clarified through three kinds of loves: Philia, Storge, and the ultimate love, Agape. These three are exemplified in the Fox's love for Psyche, Oral's love for Psyche, and the love Psyche has for others. The Fox's love for Psyche is like the love that a grandfather has for his grandchildren. He loves Psyche with a Philia love. Philia love is brotherly or Platonic love or a relationship between two close friends. Fox has this type of love for Psyche. He cares for, teaches, and loves Psyche with his whole heart. When Psyche happily refuses to return to the palace, and leave the mountain, the Fox Prevents Orual from acting rashly and taking her down by force. (147) By doing this, the Fox prevents Psyche from any physical harm Orual could cause her. When the king agrees to sacrifice his Psyche to Ungit and the Brute, the Fox says that if he was in the kings shoes, he would sacrifice the entire kingdom, and even his own life to save her. (59) This shows how strong his love for Psyche is. Although Philia love is natural and corruptible, Fox love towards Psyche remains pure because of his selfless devotion and grandfatherly care.
Whereas Fox's Philia love for psyche remains pure and uncorrupted, Orual's love for Psyche becomes self-serving. Hers is an example of Storge love gone too far. This love is a sacrificial one like that found between parents and their children. It is a love of great devotion, sometimes to the point of death and becomes corrupted when the devotion one is showing is ultimately for his own gain, not the recipient's. through Orual, we see this corrupted love. When Psyche is doomed to being sacrificed, Orual pleads desperately for her sister's life, and even offers herself as a replacement for Psyche. (55, 61) While this may seem like pure and uncorrupted love, we see that it is actually a self-serving love.
